In the face of pandemic and economic stasis, information is both vital and fleeting. I’m going to collect here links to sources of information useful to consumer lawyers as I find them. As always, check the dates on the linked resources, as I fully expect change, and more change as we work our way through […]
Charting The Course of A Case
Planning the bankruptcy often determines whether the case succeeds or fails. To obtain good results for a bankruptcy client, sometimes you have to serve up unpleasant news and force the client to swallow that bitter pill. Hum a chorus of You Can’t Always Get What You Want. Of course, you can’t really force them to […]
Black Decision Sheds Light On Vesting Questions
Clouds of uncertainty have hovered over Chapter 13 debtors who find that they need to sell appreciated property before the case is over. Does appreciation occurring after filing go to creditors on the theory that the appreciation is property of the estate? Or does the vesting of property at confirmation entitle the debtor to any […]
First Principles For First Meetings
Once again, I sat in a 341 meeting where the trustee purported to deliver vital information to the assembled debtors. She had a captive audience of anxious listeners. She had ostensible power of life and death over their financial future. They needed to know what she had to say. But as communication, it failed. Badly. […]
PACE Loans- New Subprime Debts
Presentation November 2017 NCLC Consumer Litigation Conference 1 NCLC PACE Presentation final
When Worlds of Bankruptcy & Family Law Collide
Bankruptcy, actual or threatened, can cause a genuine disruption in the force when divorce is on the table. That collision can be liberating or disruptive, depending on the timing of a bankruptcy filing and the goals of your client. Because the fallout from a bankruptcy case can be overwhelming, family lawyers need a working knowledge […]
When The Means Test Is Meaningless
A local bankruptcy attorney stumbled over the most basic part of the means test. Just this week… nearly 15 years after the bankruptcy “reform” act of 2005. I thought we were several years past bankruptcy attorneys clueless about the means test. But apparently not. When the means test doesn’t apply This fine fellow told a […]